Baby whose face is being squashed by a common birthmark
- Sophia-Elizabeth Wicksted, from Liverpool, was born with a haemangioma
- It started off only as a faint birthmark on the side of the youngster’s nose
- However, it began to become more pronounced in just a matter of weeks
- Now it has mutated into a red lump that doctors warn could take over her face
Stephen Matthews For Mailonline
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A baby girl has difficulty breathing and struggles to see as a result of a rapidly growing tumour that is squashing her face.
Sophia-Elizabeth Wicksted, from Liverpool, was born with a haemangioma – a collection of blood vessels grouped together into a lump.
However, it started off only as a faint birthmark on the side of her nose before growing larger as the weeks went by.
Now it has mutated into a red lump that doctors warn could eventually take over the 11-week-old’s entire face.
Sophia-Elizabeth Wicksted, from Liverpool, was born with a haemangioma – a collection of blood vessels grouped together into a lump
But her parents Michelle Green, 33, and Steven Wicksted, 32, believe she is beautiful regardless of the condition.
Ms Green said: ‘When Sophia was born she had a very faint mark on the right side of her nose – it was barely noticeable.
‘When she was three to four weeks old it was still getting bigger, it had become a brighter red and it was really raised.
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‘It’s already affecting her breathing through her nose and it’s starting to grow into her eye more – and as it has its own blood supply it will continue to grow and grow.
‘Eventually, it could take over her whole face.’
At first, midwives told the parents it was more likely to be a stork mark – common for most babies.
It started off only as a faint birthmark on the side of her nose before growing larger as the weeks went by
Her mother, Michelle Green, 33, said: ‘It’s already affecting her breathing through her nose and it’s starting to grow into her eye more’
However, they normally fade after a couple of weeks. But Sophia-Elizabeth’s started to become redder.
A friend of Ms Green’s, who also happens to be a nurse, saw photos of the youngster and said she thought it may be a haemangioma.
After taking her for a check-up at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, doctors confirmed the diagnosis.
She has since been put onto a treatment that will stunt the growth of the tumour and hopefully shrink it. Doctors hope it will correct her breathing and vision problems.
It involves her taking beta blockers three times a day for a year to cut off the blood supply to the benign tumour.
After sharing images of her daughter on Instagram, Ms Green has been inundated with messages from parents saying their children have something similar.
And strangers always comment on how beautiful Sophia-Elizabeth is despite her birthmark, she said.
The youngster has also been asked to model clothes on her Instagram account.
Now, it has mutated into a red lump that is also blurring her vision, and doctors warn it could eventually take over the 11-week-old’s entire face
But when Ms Green her out and about, she can often hear disapproving mutters – who think the bright red lump is a result of injury.
She said: ‘We’ve had people stop us on the bus before asking how she’d hurt herself – I can see them giving each other disapproving looks and muttering to each other.
‘It does look like blood on her face – sometimes children ask why her face is bleeding.
‘We do get negative comments – people think I’m disappointed with how Sophia looks, because she’s having treatment.
‘We think Sophia is beautiful regardless – we are only ensuring she has treatment for health reasons.’
WHAT ARE HAEMANGIOMAS?
A haemangioma is the most common type of birthmark. It is a benign tumour of the cells which normally line the blood vessels.
In these birthmarks, the cells multiply more rapidly than normal causing a collection of small blood vessels that form lumps in, or under, the skin.
About one in every ten babies has a haemangioma and they are most common in girls and premature babies.
They usually appear when the baby is about two-weeks-old and about 60 per cent develop on the head or neck.
Most do not require any treatment but those near the eye, on the lips, or obstructing the airway will.
Treatment options include pain relief, beta blockers, laser treatment, steroids and surgery.
Source: Birthmark Support Group and NHS Choices
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